S.D. Eibar - The Minnows Amongst the Big Boys

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NOVEMBER

Eibar 2 (Gabriel Barbosa 48, Vadillo 85)
Barcelona 1 (Messi 82)

Our 3rd victory over Barcelona and there was late drama as Messi levelled before Vadillo struck after a quick free-kick by Moller Daehli. He then got injured and will be out for 2 months.

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Celta Vigo 1 (Ngog 80)
Eibar 2 (Ekiza 43, Rafinha 59)

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UEFA Champions League Group E
Legia Warsaw 3 (Jutkiewicz 3, 65, Larsen 90)
Eibar 4 (Dzerlek 4, Rossi 27, Boudzoumou 36, Tyton og55)

Another chance for my backups to impress and they came out on top here. Rossi had a goal disallowed too.

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Athletic Bilbao 2 (Rico 5, Sola 28)
Eibar 2 (Escudero 23, Gabriel Barbosa 73)

I usually struggle against Athletic and this match was no different.

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Eibar 2 (Ocampos 14, Gabriel Barbosa 36)
Atletico Madrid 2 (Volland 45, Mandzukic 67)

This was a nightmare of a match as we threw away a 2 goal lead and had Ekiza and Moller Daehli injured. It could have been worse as Ortola saved a late Yarmolenko penalty.

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UEFA Champions League Group E
VfL Wolfsburg 3 (Vieirinha 22, Lasogga 26, 30)
Eibar 3 (Rafinha 7, Ruben Garcia 46, Boudzoumou 77)

A decent point which leaves us 3pts clear of both Man Utd and Wolfsburg.

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Barc2-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkiza*EscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaYanguas, Benassi, Vadillo
Celta Vigo2-1OrtolaPatricVictor Ruiz*EkizaNaughtonBenassiGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaRafinhaGabriel BarbosaMilina, Rossi, Boudzoumou
Legia4-3OrtolaYanguasBachAbdellaouiNaughtonBenassiMilinaOcamposBoudzoumouDzerlek*RossiBacaicoa, Telletxea
Ath2-2OrtolaYanguasVictor RuizEkizaEscudero*CosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaDzerlek, Tejera, Boudzoumou
Atl M.2-2OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcampos*Ruben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaBoudzoumou, Abdellaoui, Benassi
Wolf3-3OrtolaPatricVictor RuizAbdellaouiEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaRafinhaGabriel BarbosaBoudzoumou, Dzerlek, Naughton

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SUMMARY

A very tough month in which we did brilliantly to come through it unbeaten. We got a few hard earned draws and more importantly beat Barcelona to open up a 6pt gap between ourselves and we have a great chance of splitting the top two for the first time.

My young striker, Ewandro, who is out on loan at Real Betis is currently 2nd in the scoring charts and is tipped to win the European Golden Boy award!!!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
BORJA EKIZA
View attachment 339483

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LIGA BBVA
View attachment 339484

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SPAIN

Friendly
Spain 0
Argentina 3 (Messi 25pen, Lamela 59, Ferreyra 80)

Lineup - De Gea (Ortola), Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos (Bartra), Alba, Javi Martinez (Busquets), Fabregas (Thiago), Koke (Jese), Ruben Garcia, Isco, Diego Costa (Llorente)

My first defeat as Spain manager. Ruben Garcia had a goal disallowed that would have made it 1-1. Ortola made his international debut here.

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Friendly
Spain 3 (Ramos 38, Isco 45, Victor Ruiz 82)
Algeria 2 (Belfodil 1, Feghouli 3)

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta, Bartra (Victor Ruiz), Ramos, Alba (Bernat), Javi Martinez (Busquets), Fabregas, Koke (Jese), Ruben Garcia (Pedro), Isco, Diego Costa (Llorente)

We were caught off guard by Algeria and quickly went 2-0 down. We battled back and Victor Ruiz came off the bench to score on his international debut.​
 
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DECEMBER

Eibar 3 (Ocampos 8, Escudero 20, Ruben Garcia 33)
Getafe 0

We were on fire in the first half and even had 2 goals disallowed.

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Cordoba 1 (Nieto 44)
Eibar 1 (Ocampos 66)

A terrible result against the bottom side and to rub salt in the wounds it was my ex player who scored for them. Real Madrid lost though which was a bonus.

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Copa del Rey 4th Round 1st Leg
Real Valladolid 1 (Lozano 86)
Eibar 3 (Milina 4, Escobar og38, Dzerlek 49)

An easy win for my backups.

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UEFA Champions League Group E
Eibar 3 (Grenier 1, Moller Daehli 79, Dzerlek 90)
Manchester United 1 (Van Persie 85)

A great victory which confirms our qualification as group winners and eliminates Man Utd. Both sides had a man sent-off in the 2nd half.

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Real Betis 2 (Zvipelj 46, Pozuelo 80)
Eibar 2 (Ruben Garcia 4, Rafinha 79)

More dropped points and once again a former player of mine scores against us.

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Copa del Rey 4th Round 2nd Leg
Eibar 5 (Rafinha 3, Dzerlek 6, 25, 86, Rossi 18)
Real Valladolid 1 (Fito 76)
(Eibar win 8-2 on aggregate)

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Get3-0OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaRafinha*Gabriel BarbosaMilina
Cord1-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkiza*EscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaRafinhaGabriel BarbosaBenassi, Milina, Dzerlek
R. Val3-1OrtolaNaughtonAbdellaouiBachYanguasBenassiMilinaRafinhaBoudzoumouDzerlek*RossiTejera, Telletxea
Man Utd3-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenier*OcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaDzerlek, Benassi, Rafinha
Real Betis2-2OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaRafinha, Dzerlek, Benassi
R. Val5-1OrtolaNaughtonVictor RuizBachYanguasBenassiMilinaRafinhaBoudzoumouDzerlek* 3RossiTejera, Telletxea


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SUMMARY

The year of 2017 ends with us 2nd in the table, battling it out for the title and also progressing in both cup competitions and in the next rounds we will play Shakhtar Donetsk and Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League and Copa del Rey respectively.

I managed to get Mats Moller Daehli to sign a new deal with an increased release clause of $60m which is great news.

In the World Cup my Spanish side will face Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Croatia.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
SANEL DZERLEK
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LIGA BBVA
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JANUARY

Eibar 4 (Ocampos 12, Gabriel Barbosa 37, 82, Ruben Garcia 66)
Deportivo La Coruna 0

A nice start to 2018 and hopefully this is a sign that Gabriel Barbosa will be more prolific than he has been!

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Copa del Rey 5th Round 1st Leg
Eibar 5 (Cosic 23 Ocampos 27pen, 35pen, Grenier 57, Dzerlek 80)
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Guillermo 60)

I am sorry Athletic, please forgive me................

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Eibar 1 (Gabriel Barbosa 65)
Granada 0

We struggled here and Gabriel Barbosa had an early goal disallowed too.

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Copa del Rey 5th Round 2nd Leg
Athletic Bilbao 3 (Guillermo 3, Vidal 33, Ibai Gomez 59)
Eibar 3 (Rafinha 81, Telletxea 86, Bach 89)
(Eibar win 8-4 on aggregate)

What a cmeback that was!!!! It was a bit too close for comfort towards the end though.

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Eibar 3 (Gabriel Barbosa 6, Cosic 22, Shehu og80)
Numancia 0

An easy win as Moller Daehli picked up another 3 assists.

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Copa del Rey 5th Round 1st Leg
Valencia 3 (Gargano 5, 22, Dzeko 47)
Eibar 1 (Gabriel Barbosa 56)

We were awful here and the only saving grace was Gabriel Barbosa's away goal.

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Real Sociedad 3 (Ayew 13, Canales 42, Boateng 69)
Eibar 2 (Cosic 54, Vadillo 77)

Another terrible performance - they had 2 goals disallowed - and it allows them to get within 4pts of us.

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Copa del Rey QF 2nd Leg
Eibar 3 (Ocampos 42, Gabriel Barbosa 55, 90)
Valencia 1 (Vezo 86)
(AET - agg 4-4 - Valencia win 5-4 on penalties)

Agony!! We battled hard here and went 2-0 up, then had a Vadillo goal disallowed, before Valencia scored late on to seemingly put us out but Gabriel Barbosa struck in stoppage time to save us. It went to pens and Moller Daehli missed to send us out.

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
DLC4-0OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel Barbosa* 2Benassi
Ath5-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcampos* 2Ruben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaDzerlek
Gran1-0OrtolaPatricVictor Ruiz*EkizaEscuderoBenassiGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaYanguas, Rafinha, Milina
Ath3-3OrtolaNaughtonAbdellaouiBachYanguasBenassiMilinaRafinhaBoudzoumouDzerlekRossiHerrera, Bacaicoa, Telletxea*
Num3-0OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller Daehli*Gabriel BarbosaRafinha, Vadillo
Val1-3OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaVadillo, Rafinha, Yanguas
R. Soc2-3OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaVadillo, Benassi
Val3-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel Barbosa* 2Vadillo, Yanguas, Dzerlek

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SUMMARY

This month started well but ended horribly as we lost in the league to Sociedad and after winning the Copa del Rey for the last 2 years we crashed out on penalties against Valencia. Hopefully we can bounce back next month and with Gabriel Barbosa, Vadillo and Cosic finding their form things are looking good.

I sold Sergio Tejera to Olympiakos for $2.8m. He made 140 appearances for us and scored 17 goals and that was my only deal of the transfer window.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
GABRIEL BARBOSA
View attachment 339346

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LIGA BBVA
View attachment 339347​
 
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FEBRUARY

Espanyol 1 (Alex Rubio 63)
Eibar 5 (Ocampos 16, 45pen, Rafinha 62, Patric 70, Rossi 74)

A fantastic win which gets us back on track.

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Eibar 2 (Moller Daehli 10, Gabriel Barbosa 73)
Villarreal 1 (Aquino 68)

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Osasuna (Nekounam 66)
Eibar (Victor Ruiz 36, Ocampos 69)

We won but Ruben Garcia and Gabriel Barbosa had goals disallowed.

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UEFA Champions League 1st Round 1st Leg
Shakhtar Donetsk 0
Eibar 1 (Grenier 31)

I am pleased with this result as it gives us a great chance of qualifying for the quarter finals.

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Sporting Gijon 0
Eibar 2 (Ekiza 33, Moller Daehli 61)

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Esp5-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaYanguasBenassiGrenierOcampos* 2Ruben GarciaRafinhaGabriel BarbosaRossi, Milina, Abdellaoui
Vill2-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscudero*CosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaDzerlek, Vadillo, Benassi
Osas2-1OrtolaPatricVictor Ruiz*EkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaBenassi, Milina
Shak1-0OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenier*OcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliDzerlekRafinha, Telletxea
Gijon2-0OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaNaughtonBenassiGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller Daehli*Gabriel BarbosaDzerlek, Vadillo, Milina

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SUMMARY

Any month where we win all of our games is a good month and this one was no different although we didnt manage to reduce Real Madrid's lead at the top of the table. That being said, we are a whopping 16pts clear of Barcelona so it looks as though that the big two are going to be split.

Next month see's us have the youth intake and if I can get a really good one I may be tempted to sell some first teams players to balance the books. We are currently $13m in the red so if we sold a couple of my leading players bought on the cheap (Ocampos, Grenier, Ewandro) we would be on a sound footing financially.

If only we could extend the stadium.................


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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
MATS MOLLER DAEHLI
View attachment 339337

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LIGA BBVA
View attachment 339336​
 
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MARCH

Eibar 1 (Grenier 24)
Real Madrid 1 (Modric 43)

It was imperative that we didnt lose here and we didnt!!!

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Eibar 3 (Gabriel Barbosa 1, Ocampos 34, Grenier 49)
Valencia 2 (Gil 25, Dzeko 52)

A hard fought victory and revenge over our cup exit.

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Malaga 3 (Junior 30, Fran Cruz 48, Aspas 90)
Eibar 4 (Ocampos 19, Rafinha 39, Ruben Garcia 64, Victor Ruiz 69)

I was without my first choice central midfield pairing and Milina who would have played too but it wasnt our creativity that was the problem - it was the defence!!!! Never mind - another victory.

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UEFA Champions League 1st Round 2nd Leg
Eibar 3 (Gabriel Barbosa 10, Rafinha 30, Vadillo 52)
Shakhtar Donetsk 3 (Fischer 34, Fred 40, Wellington Nem 63)
(Eibar win 4-3 on aggregate)

Through we go....... Ekiza was awful here.

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Barcelona 4 (Javi Martinez 16, 73, Messi 44, Suarez 87)
Eibar 2 (Gabriel Barbosa 7, 28)

I am disappointed to lose after leading twice but it shows how far we have come when we are angry at losing away to Barcelona!!!

Javi Martinez obviously doesnt want to go to the World Cup....................lol

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Eibar 3 (Patric 6, Ocampos 12pen, Moller Daehli 90)
Sevilla 0

A very good way to bounce back after defeat.

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Real M.1-1OrtolaNaughtonVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenier*OcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaRafinha, Benassi, Yanguas
Val3-2OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenier*OcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaVadillo
Malaga4-3OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoBenassiMoller DaehliOcamposRuben GarciaRafinha*Gabriel BarbosaVadillo, Abdellaoui, Rossi
Shak3-3OrtolaPatricYanguasEkizaNaughtonCosicGrenierVadilloRuben GarciaRafinhaGabriel BarbosaBach, Rossi, Boudzoumou
Barc2-4OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel Barbosa 2Rafinha, Benassi, Naughton
Sev3-0OrtolaPatricYanguasEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller Daehli*Gabriel BarbosaNaughton, Dzerlek

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SUMMARY

This month was extremely tough as we faced Real, Barca, Valencia, Sevilla and had a Champions League match against Shakhtar to contend with. Overall we did not too bad and I am happy with my teams efforts.

Real Madrid should go on to win the title however as they have a 4pt lead with a game in hand. It is they who we face in the Champions League quarter finals.

I signed this young Colombian on a free. I had agreed the deal 3 years ago when he was 15 and at the level that we were at then he looked amazing but after 3 years of not playing any football it seems as though he may be a dud?
View attachment 339125

As for the youth intake - it was pretty decent. This was the best player...........
View attachment 339124

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
CLEMENT GRENIER
View attachment 339126

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LIGA BBVA
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SPAIN

Friendly
Spain 4 (Ramos 13, 48, Isco 22, Fabregas 45)
Cyprus 2 (Christofi 18, 75)

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta (Carvajal), Pique (Victor Ruiz), Ramos*, Alba, Busquets (Romeu), Fabregas (Thiago), Pedro, Jese, Isco (Ruben Garcia), Llorente (Diego Costa)​
 
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APRIL

UEFA Champions League QF 1st Leg
Eibar 5 (Ocampos 18, Ruben Garcia 21, Gabriel Barbosa 49, Moller Daehli 77, 89)
Real Madrid 1 (Djordjevic 69)

OH MY ******* GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

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Eibar 5 (Ocampos 17, 56, 89pen, Milina 53pen, Ekiza 59)
Celta Vigo 2 (Iniguez 6, Mina 86)

Another 5 goal haul!!!!!

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UEFA Champions League QF 2nd Leg
Real Madrid 0
Eibar 0
(Eibar win 5-1 on aggregate)

Into the semis we go for the first time!!!

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Eibar 3 (Ruben Garcia 18, Ocampos 48, Moller Daehli 63)
Athletic Bilbao 1 (Moran 59)

A good win but obviously I have no pride in this victory.

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Atletico Madrid 1 (Volland 34)
Eibar 4 (Ruben Garcia 28, Escudero 58, Ekiza 74, Dzerlek 89)

An amazing victory and one that I couldnt have dreamt of.

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UEFA Champions League SF 1st Leg
Eibar 1 (Ruben Garcia 70)
Juventus 1 (Ferreyra 39)

A decent result but we are by no means favourites to reach the final.

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Getafe 1 (Victor Ruiz og66)
Eibar 2 (Gabriel Barbosa 31, Ruben Garcia 90)

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Real M.5-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller Daehli* 2Gabriel BarbosaBenassi, Abdellaoui
Celta Vigo5-2OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoBenassiMilinaOcampos* 3Ruben GarciaRafinhaGabriel BarbosaBoudzoumou
Real M.0-0OrtolaPatricAbdellaouiYanguasNaughton*CosicGrenierVadilloRafinhaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaRossi, Bach, Dzerlek
Ath3-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaNaughtonCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaXabi
Atl M.4-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscudero*CosicBenassiOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaDzerlek, Boudzoumou, Abdellaoui
Juv1-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaDzerlek, Benassi, Rafinha
Get2-1OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben Garcia*Moller DaehliGabriel Barbosa-

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SUMMARY

What a month this was!!!! We got some huge victories against some top sides but obviously the highlight was the 5-1 thrashing of Real Madrid in the Champions League. We still have a chance of reaching the final but it will take a special performance to defeat Juventus away from home.

In the league we are 7pts behind Real so with only 4 games left there will be no title for us but we are a whopping 19pts clear of Barca so the big two have been split for the first time!

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RUBEN GARCIA
View attachment 338891

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LIGA BBVA
View attachment 338889​
 
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MAY

UEFA Champions League SF 2nd Leg
Juventus 5 (Ferreyra 37, 55, Wilshere 49, Nastasic 57, Moreno 60)
Eibar 5 (Ocampos 4, 90pen, Grenier 15, 82, Ruben Garcia 35)
(Agg: 6-6, Eibar win on away goals)

WE MAKE IT TO THE FINAL!!!!!

What a game this was. We started off on fire and went 3up and then found ourselves 5-3 down and I was kicking myself for not going more defensive. Then Grenier scored from a free-kick and I went to an overload strategy. Moller Daehli got brought down in the box which gave us a pen and Ocampos struck it home.

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Eibar 2 (Rafinha 22, Vadillo 40)
Cordoba 1 (Borja Baston 49)

I gave my first picks a much deserved rest here and they got the job done. Real Madrid got beat..............

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Eibar 3 (Rafinha 8, Boudzoumou 22, Ocampos 58)
Real Betis 1 (Zvipelj 76)

Rafinha impresses every time he starts and he did so again here. Just a shame that Ruben Garcia, Moller Daehli and Ocampos are cemented in as first picks.

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Deportivo La Coruna 1 (Toivonen 8pen)
Eibar 4 (Dzerlek 46, 60, 77, 85)

We were poor in the first half but in the 2nd half it was the Sanel Dzerlek show as he scored 4 times!!!! Real Madrid drew and the gap is down to 2pts but they will play away to already relegated Cordoba............

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Granada 1 (Diarra 3)
Eibar 3 (Vadillo 12, Ruben Garcia 49, 71)

We did what we had to do but unfortunately so did Real Madrid as they won 1-0.

SO CLOSE!!!!

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UEFA Champions League Final
Eibar 3 (Gabriel Barbosa 54, Moller Daehli 81, Ruben Garcia 89pen)
Manchester City 0
WE ARE CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An amazing performance this but we got a bit of luck along the way. The first half was tight but we took the lead through Gabriel Barbosa early in the 2nd half. Then Man City got a penalty which was taken by Aguero but saved by Ortola.

What followed was constant City pressure as they bombarded our goal and struck the woodwork but Moller Daehli stole the ball off of Kompany and chipped Hart from 25 yards to seal the victory and Ruben Garcia converted a late penalty to add an extra bit of gloss to the scoreline.

An amazing achievement.

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LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Juve5-5OrtolaPatricVictor RuizEkizaEscuderoCosicGrenier 2Ocampos* 2Ruben GarciaMoller DaehliGabriel BarbosaYanguas, Benassi, Dzerlek
Cord2-1OrtolaNaughtonAbdellaouiBachYanguasBenassiMilinaVadilloBoudzoumouRafinhaDzerlekBacaicoa, Telletxea, Xabi
Real Betis3-1OrtolaNaughtonAbdellaouiBachYanguasBenassiXabiOcamposBoudzoumouRafinha*DzerlekBacaicoa, Kerr, Rossi
DLC4-1OrtolaPatricAbdellaouiBachNaughtonBenassiMilinaVadilloRuben GarciaRafinhaDzerlek* 4Herrera, Bacaicoa
Gran3-1OrtolaPatricAbdellaouiEkizaYanguasCosicGrenierVadilloRuben Garcia* 2Moller DaehliDzerlekBacaicoa, Benassi, Naughton
Man City3-0OrtolaNaughtonVictor RuizEkizaYanguasCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaMoller Daehli*Gabriel BarbosaVadillo, Dzerlek, Bach

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SUMMARY

Not much happened this month lol

This month was incredible as we almost won the title despite being 7pts behind with 4 games to go and in the Champions League we emerged victorious after a 10 goal thriller against Juventus and a convincing victory in the final against Man City.

The 5-5 draw against Juventus was an incredible match and one that I wont forget in a hurry as we had it won, threw it away and somehow came back from the death. In the final we rode our luck but was clinical in front of goal.

In the league we won all of our remaining games despite putting out a backup side for a few of them and performed well but Real Madrid just stumbled over the line.

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PLAYER OF THE MONTH
RUBEN GARCIA
View attachment 338715

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END OF SEASON POST

A magnificent season was had!!!!! We won the Champions League to become the champions of Europe and we also split the big two as we finished miles ahead of Barcelona in the league and just short of Real Madrid.

We improved so much in the league and managed to score over 100 goals and get 95pts which would have been enough to win the title a few times in recent seasons. We only lost 3 games and ended the season with a winning run that included big wins over Atletico Madrid and Bilbao.

In the domestic cups we lost 4-3 to Real Madrid in both Super Cup games and we lost our 2 year grip on the Copa del Rey when Valencia knocked us out on penalties.

The majority of the drama and excitement however arrived with the Champions League. We topped our group and in doing so beat Man Utd to knock them out completely before knocking out Shakhtar Donetsk in the first knock-out round.

In the quarters we thumped Real Madrid 5-1 in the first leg to all but book our spot in the semis where we faced Juventus. We drew 1-1 at home and incredibly 5-5 away to go through on away goals in a topsy turvy match.

In the final we beat Man City 3-0 to win the cup despite missing 3 defenders who would have featured!!!

Squad wise our defence and keeper performed admirably without pulling up any trees but it was in midfield where our magic is as Grenier and Cosic had decent seasons while Rafinha, Vadillo, Ruben Garcia, Moller Daehli and Ocampos were immense all season long. Up front Gabriel Barbosa had a decent first season while Sanel Dzerlek impressed when given a chance and is developing nicely.

The clubs finances is just in the black and fortunately upon winning the Champions League the board finally agreed to a stadium expansion - to a whopping 7,500 capacity lol.

A special mention goes out to Ewandro who is on loan at Real Betis as he was the 2nd top scorer in the Liga BBVA with 23 goals and did fantastically well.

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FINAL LEAGUE TABLE
View attachment 338713

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FIRST TEAM SQUAD
View attachment 338712

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MY PLAYER OF THE SEASON
MATS MOLLER DAEHLI
View attachment 338711

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MY YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON
JUSUF COSIC
View attachment 338710
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AWARDS

Spanish Young Player of the Year - Gabriel Barbosa
Liga BBVA Player of the Year - M. Moller Daehli
Liga BBVA Team of the Year - B.Ekiza, M.Moller Daehli (S.Escudero, L.Ocampos)
UEFA Champions League Best Player - M.Moller Daehli
UEFA Champions League Dream Team - M.Moller Daehli, L.Ocampos

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WORLD CUP SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT AND FRIENDLIES TO FOLLOW



​
 
As always a brilliant story and what a brilliant end to the season. Massive wins. Looking forward to seeing what they money situation is going to be like for you and seeing who can be bought in.
 
As always a brilliant story and what a brilliant end to the season. Massive wins. Looking forward to seeing what they money situation is going to be like for you and seeing who can be bought in.​
Click to expand...

This is how things stand a few days after the season (before transfer budgets etc).................................
View attachment 338699

I have just offered a new contract to Benassi to get rid of his low release clause which will give him an extra 900k a year. Also I have just offered a contract to a player in Holland.

Add on a $3m loan for the extension of the stadium, better junior coaching and training facilities and things dont look so good!!!!!
 
Death Ball said:
Saw it coming but still amazing achievement!
Click to expand...

We always seem to end the season strongly and we were on fire towards the end of the season there. However luck played a large part!!!!!

I put more value in the league however. I cant claim to be the best in Europe when I cant even win the title in Spain!!!
 
images


SPAIN

Friendlies

Israel 0
Spain 5 (Pedro 9, Pique 19, 56, Thiago 29, Diego Costa 76)

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta (Carvajal), Pique*, Ramos (Inigo Martinez), Alba, Busquets (Javi Martinez), Thiago, Pedro, Muniain (Ruben Garcia), Isco (Fabregas), Llorente (Diego Costa)

--

Spain 10 (Ramos 4, Muniain 17, 46, 60, Isco 32, Diego Costa 36, Pedro 45, 49, Jese 72, Fabregas 83)
Gibraltar 0

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta (Carvajal), Inigo Martinez (Bartra), Ramos, Alba (Bernat), Busquets, Koke, Pedro (Ruben Garcia), Muniain*, Isco (Fabregas), Diego Costa (Jese)

--

Australia 0
Spain 3 (Muniain 8, 32, Pedro 30)

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta, Pique, Bartra (Ramos), Alba, Javi Martinez (Busquets), Koke (Thiago), Pedro (Ruben Garcia), Muniain*, Isco (Fabregas), Jese (Llorente)

--

2018 WORLD CUP SQUAD

Goalkeepers
NAMECLUBVALUECAPSGLS
Iker CASILLASReal Madrid2.6m1830
David DE GEAManchester United21m160
Adrian ORTOLAEibar4.4m10

Defenders
NAMECLUBPOSVALUECAPSGLS
Jordi ALBABarcelonaDRL/AML17.75m688
Cesar AZPILICUETAChelseaDRL28m430
Marc BARTRAChelseaDRC28m322
Juan BERNATParis Saint-GermainD/AML27.5m140
Dani CARVAJALReal MadridDR20m130
INIGO MARTINEZJuventusDC24m110
Gerard PIQUEBarcelonaDC4.2m10512
Sergio RAMOSReal MadridDRC4.2m15618

Midfielders
NAMECLUBPOSVALUECAPSGLS
Sergio BUSQUETSBarcelonaMC25m1040
Cesc FABREGASReal MadridM/AMC/ST24m12523
ISCOManchester CityMC/AMLC33.5m168
JAVI MARTINEZBarcelonaD/MC24m434
KOKEParis Saint-GermainMC/AMRLC29.5m180
Iker MUNIAINAS MonacoAMLC22m56
PEDROChelseaAMRL21m6423
RUBEN GARCIAEibarAMRLC25m112
THIAGOManchester CityM/AMC26.5m374

Forwards
NAMECLUBPOSVALUECAPSGLS
DIEGO COSTAReal MadridAMRC/ST16.75m2715
JESEBorussia DortmundAMRLC/ST28m136
Fernando LLORENTEJuventusST1.9m6534

Missing out - Victor Ruiz, Alvaro Vadillo (Eibar), Oriol Romeu (Paris Saint-Germain), Asier Illarramendi (Real Madrid), Oliver (FC Porto), Sergi Roberto (Liverpool), Ander Herrera (AC Milan), Marvin Montoya (Newcastle United)​
 
images


FIFA WORLD CUP 2018

Hosts: Russia

Group E

Spain 3 (Ramos 41, Diego Costa 52, Muniain 74)
Saudi Arabia 0

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta*, Pique, Ramos (Bartra), Alba, Busquets, Fabregas, Pedro (Ruben Garcia), Muniain, Isco (Jese), Diego Costa

Uruguay 4-2 Croatia

--

Croatia 2 (Mandzukic 7, 45)
Spain 2 (Muniain 40, Busquets 85)

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets (Javi Martinez), Fabregas (Thiago), Pedro, Muniain, Isco, Diego Costa (Llorente)

After getting over 100 caps, Sergio Busquets got his first goal for Spain here.

Saudi Arabia 0-3 Uruguay

--

Uruguay 0
Spain 3 (Coates og51, Muniain 56, Inigo Martinez 67)

Lineup - De Gea, Carvajal, Pique (Inigo Martinez), Ramos, Bernat, Javi Martinez, Thiago*, Pedro, Muniain, Isco (Ruben Garcia), Diego Costa (Jese)

A very good performance that makes us qualify as group winners.

Croatia 4-1 Saudi Arabia

View attachment 338646




​
 
images


FIFA WORLD CUP 2018

2nd ROUND

Mexico 1 (Moreno 64)
Spain 6 (Diego Costa 28, 55, 75, Ruben Garcia 36, 47, Fabregas 62)

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta, Pique (Inigo Martinez), Bartra, Alba, Busquets (Thiago), Fabregas, Ruben Garcia (Pedro), Muniain, Isco, Diego Costa*

A stunning victory. While I expected to win I did not expect to win so handsomely!!!!

Brazil 1-0 Colombia
Austria 1-4 South Korea
Belgium 3-0 Jamaica
Argentina 3-1 Ivory Coast
England 3-1 Uruguay
Germany 1-0 Poland
Turkey 2-1 France

--

QUARTER FINALS

Spain 2 (Muniain 59, 68, Fabregas 66pen)
Germany 0

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Alba, Busquets (Javi Martinez), Fabregas, Ruben Garcia, Muniain*, Isco (Jese), Diego Costa (Llorente)

Nothing happened in the 1st half so I tore into my players at the break and they responded superbly!!!!

South Korea 0-2 Argentina
Brazil 3-2 Belgium
England 2-0 Turkey

--

SEMI-FINALS

Argentina 2 (Santoro 46, Lamela 93)
Spain 1 (Llorente 67)
AET

Lineup - De Gea, Carvajal, Inigo Martinez, Ramos, Bernat, Busquets (Koke), Thiago, Ruben Garcia, Muniain (Pedro), Isco, Diego Costa (Llorente)

Disappointing. We didnt play well enough to win however and the Argentinians missed a hatful of chances.

Brazil 0-1 England

--

3rd PLACE PLAY-OFF

Spain 0
Brazil 0
AET - Spain win 4-3 on penalties

Lineup - De Gea, Azpilicueta (Isco), Pique, Bartra, Alba, Javi Martinez, Fabregas (Koke), Pedro, Muniain, Jese, Diego Costa (Llorente)

This game was so dull and boring but we managed to get the win.

--

FINAL

England 0
Argentina 1 (Lamela 1)

--

AWARDS

Best Player - Son Heung-Min (South Korea)
Top Scorer - Son Heung-Min (South Korea)
Best Young Player - Enes Unal (Turkey)
Best Goal - Giannelli Imbula (Belgium)
Best Goalkeeper - Joe Hart (England)

Dream Team

Hart

Alba - Rojo - Ramos - Peruzzi

Son Heung-Min - Koo Ja-Cheol - Fabregas - Barkley

Lukaku - Messi

(Ruben Garcia, Muniain and Azpilicueta were on the bench)


​
 
images


PRE-SEASON

The World Cup was obviously a distraction this summer as I was busy with Spain for a month but I have still managed to ring the changes and at the moment I feel that maybe we can win the title for the first time.

You may be surprised about some of my transfer dealings however............

--

PLAYERS IN

I cannot claim to have discovered my best signing I am afraid as this was done by my director of football. I offered the contract but he found the guy - Sebastian Driussi. He came in from Velez Sarsfield for $3m (now valued at over $20m!!!) and he looks like a world class player yet he is not a regen and I have never seen him before!!!!
View attachment 338474

I signed 2 more players who will be first picks and both on free transfers. Ramon Morales is a 21y/o Mexican centre half who came in from Standard Liege and looks as though he will progress to be a world class centre half. Giannelli Imbula (scorer of the best goal in the World Cup) was brought in from Marseille and although he prefers to play in midfield I will play him at left back.
View attachment 338472View attachment 338471

I further strengthened my side by signing Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona for $4.9m and Paco Alcacer from Valencia for $3.9m. Both are on the fringes of my Spain side and hopefully they will step up to the plate.
View attachment 338470View attachment 338469

Finally I brought in Micah Richards on a free transfer and Javi Manquillo for $1.8m to cover for the first team while Jose Antonio Illarramendi is a decent prospect who came in for $250,000.
View attachment 338468View attachment 338467View attachment 338466

--

PLAYERS OUT

This is where the surprises really kick in. Gabriel Barbosa left for Juventus in a $30m deal. I never realised that I stupidly only signed him on a 2 year deal and he wanted over $100k a week on a new deal which would be nearly double my next highest earner. I paid his agent $5m to buy the remaining 40% of his contract just before I sold him. I definately did not want to sell him but I had no choice.

Keko (128/32) joined Villarreal for $4.1m, Rossi joined Nancy for $1.5m, Patric (146/4) joined Cruzeiro for $1.3m, Kyle Naughton joined Betis for $1m and David Telletxea went to Athletic Bilbao for $400,000.

Finally I loaned out a load of players including Boudzoumou, Bach, Lindberg, Ewandro, Christensen, Larsen, Klevze, Justesen and Blazej.

As for Ewandro, I wanted to keep him but due to only being allowed 3 players who are classed as foreigners I had to let him go and Valencia came in for him.

--

SUMMARY

My squad is certainly stronger and now I think I have a defence that can back up my attacking prowess. This is my new first XI........

Ortola

Imbula - Morales - Victor Ruiz - Yanguas

Cosic - Grenier

Ruben Garcia (LW) - Moller Daehli - Ocampos (RW)

Triusti

My whole squad looks a lot stronger I feel especially when I think that the likes of Ekiza, Escudero, Dzerlek, Vadillo and Deulofeu cant get into the first XI.





​
 
images


AUGUST

Eibar 3 (Driussi 43, 57pen, Vadillo 80)
Villarreal 2 (Capel 41, Aboubakar 44)

A tricky opening game of the season but we came out on top thanks to a great performance from Driussi who got 2 goals and 1 assist.

--

Sporting Gijon 2 (Juanto 69, Riera 75)
Eibar 4 (Morales 53, Cosic 62, Driussi 63, Vadillo 70)

An entertaining 2nd half!!!

--

UEFA European Super Cup
Chelsea 5 (Willian 20, 83, Oscar 54, Hazard 64, 65)
Eibar 3 (Driussi 36, 72, Grenier 66)

A valiant effort but we were never going to win considering we had 2 men sent-off.

--

LINEUPS
OPPRESGKRBCBCBLBCMCMAMRAMLAMCSTSUBS
Vill3-2OrtolaYanguasVictor RuizMoralesImbulaBenassiGrenierDeulofeuRuben GarciaRafinhaDriussi* 2Escudero, Vadillo, Alcacer
Gijon4-2OrtolaYanguasVictor RuizMoralesImbulaCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaRafinha*DriussiEscudero, Vadillo, Deulofeu
Che3-5OrtolaYanguasVictor RuizMoralesEscuderoCosicGrenierOcamposRuben GarciaRafinhaDriussi 2Manquillo, Vadillo

--

SUMMARY

I suppose this was a decent start to the season as we won both of our league games and lost out to Chelsea in the European Super Cup - mainly due to us having 2 players sent-off.

Sebastian Driussi has started on fire with us as he scored 5 goals in 3 games. Despite preferring to play as an AMC he has been immense as my first choice striker and hopefully he can be the catalyst towards a Liga BBVA title!!!

In the Champions League we are in the same group as Paris Saint-Germain, Southampton and Olympiakos.

Borja Ekiza left the club as Athletic Bilbao came in with a $3.8m offer. He made 199 appearances under me and scored 36 goals. While I wasnt trying to sell him the chance to get money for a 30y/o and at the same time strengthen Athletic Bilbao was too good to turn down!!!

I replaced him with Ruben Duarte who came in on loan from Chelsea.
View attachment 338461

--

PLAYER OF THE MONTH
SEBASTIAN DRIUSSI
View attachment 338463

--

LIGA BBVA
View attachment 338462​
 
Last edited:
Yoblackcat said:
Is this story over? would love to see more
Click to expand...

Pretty much.

However I am picking up my FM12 story - Basqueing in Bilbao - the one with Aitor Herrera in it. I am restarting it in 2024 where I have my legendary real life players (Azpilicueta, Muniain, San Jose) but also my best regens in their prime (Cidoncha, Aitor, Garcia, David) and some amazing wonderkids on the start of their career (Izurza, Garmendia, Antonio, Gutierrez, Vinas)

Check it out peeps!!!

http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2012-stories/95968-basque-ing-bilbao-new-post.html
 
Last edited:
Sad to hear this is done, just checked the bilbao story out, hope you dont update too quickly as i will never catch up lol
 
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